It was cold up here. It was so high up that one could feel the clouds gathering, twisting, forming. They could feel the seasons changing – see the leaves falling from the trees as they went further and further north. This was a sight that Jack loved. He loved watching the colors fade, the leaves falling – leaving large stretches of ground just waiting to be covered in snow.

The wind nipped incessantly at his heels as he flew overhead, urging him onward and farther north. He laughed and let it, spreading his arms out wide. There were many places to get to, after all, and everyone was going to get their snow day if he had his way.

Whether or not they wanted it of course.

Miles and miles of trees started to gain a coat of white as he passed overhead, wandering aimlessly in search of some sign of people. He was taking his duties as a Guardian a little more seriously these days now that there were kids that could actually see and appreciate his work. That was a feeling he didn't think he would ever get enough – being seen. For once in his three hundred year existence, he didn't feel alone. He didn't feel cursed with no answers. He could finally take some real pride in what he was doing, knowing it wasn't for nothing. It had been a year since Pitch had been defeated, a year since he became a Guardian and he was loving every second of it.

Little did Jack know, his life was about to get a lot more complicated.

The trees stretched on and on into the horizon. Jack began to wonder if there was even anybody living out here in the middle of nowhere when, at last, the trees gave way to roads and those roads had to lead to a town. Jack grinned and urged the wind on faster. Sure enough, a tiny little town rose up in the distance. It was barely more than fifty buildings but a town was a town. And there was no snow on the ground.

"Come on wind, let's give them a blizzard!" Jack shouted and the wind picked up until the snow howled through the town. Most everyone was not expecting it – papers scattered everywhere, signs and awnings flapped and he was pretty sure he startled a flock of birds into flying south early. Some poor guy slipped and slid right into a ditch which Jack thought was pretty funny. The man didn't agree but thankfully, adults couldn't see him. He watched for a moment as he got to his feet and attempted to balance, squinting in all of the sudden snow.

"Hey Beth!"

The shouting of a bunch of kids caught his attention and Jack turned abruptly to see an ancient old schoolhouse, still brick and everything. A whole bunch of kids at a grab-bag of ages ran out of the door, shrieking at the sudden snow. He laughed as the teachers frantically tried to call them in but they didn't listen and instead whirled around in the snowfall. He floated a little closer to see someone standing by the old iron gate and one of the kids – the one who looked like started the stampede – ran right up to them.

"Beth it's snowing!" Jack realized it was a girl, maybe eleven. Her close cropped hair almost had him mistake her for a boy. Several other kids followed after her, running straight for the person the eleven-year old called 'Beth'. Beth was an older girl, around his age, at least from what he could tell from just seeing her back. It was hard to discern how old someone is when they're covered head to toe. Jack could barely make out her hair color – a rich, deep brown, darker than Jamie's. He could also see the hint of a grin on her face as she waved enthusiastically. The eleven year old had just reached Beth when she spotted Jack behind the older girl.

"Ohmygod! BETH BETH! It's JACK! JACK FROST. Just like what Nana said!" She exclaimed, excitedly tugging on the girls sleeve. Jack's heart did a happy little flip and he couldn't resist a grin and a bow. The other three kids who had followed the eleven year old squealed and he realized they could see him too. Make no mistake, Jack was elated they could see him but it was a little odd. He'd worked hard to gain the believers he had today but they were pretty few and far between. How could this many kids see him here? He'd didn't think he'd been to this town before.

"Sarah, who in the world are you pointing at-" The older girl turned around and Jack expected her to walk right through him. Like any other adult would.

Instead she smacked right into his chest and his jaw collided painfully with her forehead. Jack nearly fell over, having not expected that to happen and rubbed his jaw. The girl was in much the same position. All the kids laughed as Sarah patted the girls' leg sympathetically as Beth tried to stand, holding a hand to her head.

"See I TOLD you he was real." Sarah said matter-of-factly. Beth just groaned out a little 'ow' before she glanced up, a stern look on her face. Jack blinked in surprise when she locked eyes with him immediately; meaning she could, in fact, see him. Her eyes were blue too, but darker than his own.

"Who is real? He's just a boy Sarah. Like Elliot. Only… he's got white hair and…" She trailed off, staring at him suspiciously. Then she straightened up and stabbed him on the chest with her finger. He actually moved back a few inches in shock. "And that really hurt! Why were you standing so close to me anyway?!"

"I what?" Jack said, baffled. Not only was Beth very clearly seeing him, at seventeen (he was pretty sure) but she was also scolding him right off the bat. If they weren't before, the kids were definitely laughing now.

"You ran into me! How did you even sneak up on me like that? Who are you?!" Beth demanded, emphasizing her words with another poke before she crossed her arms over her chest. Jack stepped back a few steps, eyes wide. He was definitely no longer floating as his brain scrambled to come with an answer to her quick questions. Before he could reply, her blue eyes glanced down and her brow furrowed.

"You have bare feet in the middle of winter." She said each word slowly as if she didn't believe it. Sarah barked out another really loud laugh and both Jack and Beth glanced at the younger girl. Beth raised an eyebrow in confusion and Jack grinned sheepishly.

"It's Jack FROST. He doesn't NEED shoes." Sarah told her patronizingly. "He brings the snow!"

"That's ridiculous Sarah." Beth said, rolling her eyes dismissively. "It's also crazy to wander around in the MIDDLE OF WINTER without shoes."

"Maybe to you it is." Jack scoffed back, grinning disarmingly at Beth. He noted she was covered head to toe – gloves and hat. It wasn't even that cold yet. Her scowl lessened somewhat and she began to look more contemplative as she glanced at his staff and then back down at Sarah and the other two kids. The two younger ones had grown impatient with Beth's argument and the boy ran up to Jack.

"Can you really make as much snow as you want?" He asked and the little girl whose hand he was holding repeated his words. They were definitely siblings, with dirty blonde hair. He was probably nine and the girl looked about seven.

Jack knelt, keeping a cautious eye on Beth who had tensed up when he got close to them, her eyes flashing. He tried not to get too close as soon as he noticed that warning look over her face. He wasn't really too interested in finding out what would happen if he really made her mad.

"As much as I want." He told the two kids.

"That's awesome! Can-"The boy began excitedly before Beth interrupted by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait, you can really see this guy Elliot?" She asked him quizzically. Elliot looked back up as his sister smiled up at Jack brightly. He grinned back and she giggled. Beth glared at him.

"Duh Beth!" Elliot said with a bright grin. Jack almost snorted with laughter at his tone.

Beth looked dumbfounded and looked at the younger girl.

"You too Catlin?"

"Yup!" The girl chirped happily. Beth looked lost for words in that moment. She opened her mouth, pointing at Jack and then closed it again as she let her hand drop to her side. Sarah was laughing again as Beth sighed and squeezed the bridge of her nose. Jack snickered with the kids as Beth obviously tried to gain her bearings. He noticed that several other children had caught sight of them standing by the gate and were walking over.

"O-kayyyyyy." Beth said looking up again. She took another hard look at Jack then threw her hands helplessly up in the air. "That's it. I give up. I'm as crazy as all of you!"

She gave a dramatic sigh as she patted Elliot and Sarah on the shoulders. Sarah shouted an indignant 'hey!' as Beth grinned and Jack raised an eyebrow. That was… a pretty mild reaction all things considered. He didn't even have to show her his powers or anything. As he mulled this over, the other children he spotted leapt directly at Beth

"Snow day!" They shrieked and Beth gave a startled yell, slipping backwards. Jack was startled for a moment before he let some extra snow cushion her fall. She hit the ground with a loud 'oomph', snow sent flying in all directions. Two kids ended up sitting squarely on her chest as she let out another loud groan. He could've sworn he heard a mumbled 'this just isn't my day'. Sarah, Elliot and Catlin just burst out laughing again and he couldn't resist a smile.

"Didya see Beth-""Snawh!""Right! I mean really-" The eight year-old boy and the five-year old girl chattered relentlessly to Beth as she attempted to sit up straight. They just chattered louder and louder as Beth tried to get a word in edgewise until finally she sighed. And then, without a single warning, she pointed at Jack and shouted:

"LOOK! IT'S JACK FROST!"

They immediately turned around in shock. The boy's jaw dropped and the little girl squealed and ran directly over to him. Jack had been crouching beside Elliot and Catlin when the little brown haired five-year old threw her arms around his neck. He staggered and fell over too, thoroughly confused and surprised. The girl laughed as she drew back.

"Fwosts cold!" She exclaimed, giggling.

"Of course he's cold! He brings the snow!" The boy said chidingly and then peered directly in Jack's face before giving his cheek a swift poke. Jack was pretty dumbfounded at this point and just let it happen. "Dude, you really are cold. Sam come'ere!"

"Kevin, that's rude!" Catlin scolded the boy but he ignored her, turning to look at another boy Jack hadn't noticed. Sam had to be Kevin's twin. They looked exactly alike. Sam hung back by Beth, his brow furrowed. The more serious type huh. Kevin shrugged and bombarded Jack with a barrage of questions. Flattered by the attention, Jack did his best to answer but Kevin talked really fast. He looked over at Beth. She gave a helpless shrug and offered an apologetic smile. He realized she had purposely pointed him out to Kevin for this very reason. A sly grin crept over his face as Beth got cautiously to her feet.

"So you want to see what I can do huh?" Jack said to Kevin. He nodded enthusiastically, along with the rest of them. Jack waited until Beth turned her head around to look at a shouting teacher before he created a snowball in his hand. Catlin looked about to shout out a warning when Sarah shook her head with a grin. Catlin clapped her hands over her mouth and nodded seriously. Jack laughed silently as Beth took a step in the teacher's direction and he let the snowball fly.

It hit the back of her head with a resounding smack. Kevin let a silent 'uh-oh' as Beth froze in place. The teacher stopped too, scowling at the kids by the gate.

"Alright, all of you – no throwing snowballs at Beth!" The teacher chastised as Beth turned around slowly, very calmly (too calmly, Jack thought) dusting snow off the back of her hat. As she resettled the hat on her head, she spoke calmly to the teacher.

"I assume school's out for then now? I gotta teach those buggers and their friend, Jack Frost, a lesson in battle." Beth jerked her thumb over her shoulder at all of them. The teacher smiled slightly. Then softly, so the kids didn't hear but Jack caught the whisper, the teacher muttered to Beth:

"It sweet of you to still believe in those fairytales Nana Smith tells. It's good for kids but you know, Jack Frost doesn't exist don't you? Best not to give them false hopes."

Jack knew that adults didn't believe in him. They didn't believe in any of them. Yet he couldn't deny it stung. Not only that, but Jack was slightly offended the teacher told Beth not to believe in him either! Beth was a little old true but he wasn't going to complain if she wanted to believe. (He was still having trouble believing she could see him at all still.) And the kids had every right to that belief. Jack frowned and glanced at the group of children next to him. They were all chattering excitedly to each other about the impending snowball fight that he was certainly going to attend. But as soon as his eyes fell on Sarah, he wondered if she heard everything.

"Did you hear what that teacher said too?" Jack whispered to Sarah. Her expression told him the answer, all scowls and frowns. Her hands were balled into small fists, her jaw tight.

"Mrs. Johnson is a sour old lady. She doesn't believe in anything." Sarah grumbled, "Beth's always saying we should be a little nicer to her but she's so- ugh."

Sarah just made a helpless face. Jack snickered and nudged her arm.

"Well, then. Just one couldn't hurt right?" Jack outstretched a hand to her and on his palm rested a perfect snowball. Sarah's face lit up in delight, a mischievous smile crossing her face. Oh, he and Sarah were going to get along just fine, he thought to himself, as she took the snowball with zeal. Her face scrunched up as she took aim and then, with a toss, hurled it at her teacher. The snowball missed its mark with a whizz. Sarah winced as Beth instantly whirled around, seeming to know who did it without having to even look.

"Sarah!" Beth shouted. Everyone froze for a half a second as Sarah waved at the older girl sheepishly. Then Beth took a step in their direction and all chaos broke loose.

"Run!" Kevin yelled and all of them took off down the snowy sidewalk, shrieking joyfully. Jack let out a loud bark of laughter as Beth sprinted in hot pursuit, calling over her shoulder as she went.

"So sorry Mrs. Johnson!"

Jack jumped into the air to follow Beth easier as she slid around the corner of the school courtyard and onto the trail of the fleeing children. She was pretty quick, Jack noticed, as she somehow managed to keep her balance on the icy concrete and keep up. Nevertheless he couldn't resist a snicker as she stumbled over a stone. She sent him a dirty look as he floated effortlessly on the breeze.

"I'll deal with you later." Beth snapped, although her eyes sparkled with amusement. Then she picked up her pace. She could see the kids easily now as they paused by the stop walk light. For a breathless moment, she was afraid they would just run across. Then Sarah grabbed Kevin's arm and made him stop – the rest of the kids followed.

Except for the littlest girl. Jack didn't notice it until Beth put on an extra burst of speed. She grabbed the light post and slung her arm around the kid, slinging her over her shoulder.

"Gotcha Haley!" Beth panted and the little girl giggled. Resettling her arm around young Haley, Beth took a moment to catch her breath. Then the older girl turned on the pack of kids, one hand on her hip, the other still around Haley. They all had the gall to look a little mollified. Sarah looked at the ground and fidgeted when Beth stared at her sternly. Jack observed the whole situation with an amused look although he was considering what just happened. Haley had been about to step into the road, even though there weren't any cars. His heart had jumped into his throat when he saw the girl do that yet Beth seemed surprisingly calm about the situation. Before Jack could even do anything, Beth had breezed right past him. Obviously, she was pretty used to these things. Which made him wonder what her whole role with this group of kids was. At first he thought she was an older sister but that was almost impossible. She didn't look like any of them. Maybe Beth was a babysitter?

"Don't be too harsh on her." Jack said, perching on one of the light posts. His thoughts were running in whirls. It'd been a long time since he met such an interesting group of people; he was still trying to catch up. Beth glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and gave an aggravated sigh. Jack grinned.

Then she turned around and kicked the pole, throwing him off balance.

"You be quiet." Beth growled as Jack struggled to stay on top of the slim metal surface. That was before he remembered he was a winter spirit and could freeze his feet to it. Then he just snickered at her attempts. She ignored him this time around and focused on the kids in front of her. They immediately straightened up when she fixed them with a stern look. She surveyed them for a moment before holding up a finger.

"All right. This is what's going to happen from here on out." Beth said determinedly. "Numbero Uno: We are all going to walk back home TOGETHER. This means no running off again KEVIN."

She stressed his name and said Kevin grumbled out an 'okay', kicking the snow bashfully. Nodding at this satisfactory answer, Beth continued.

"Numbero Dos: When we get home, Nana has macaroni today." This was met with an excited murmuring. Jack recognized the name. Kids these days seemed to love macaroni- it was one of Jamie's favorites too. Beth paused for a moment and then added: "THEN we will all do our homework."

"Awww Beth!" Elliot groaned, expressing the obvious looks on everyone's faces. Jack made a face too to which Sarah said: "I knowww right Jack?" Homework was no fun at all.

"Uh-uh! I didn't finish!" Beth said loudly, wagging her finger. She let Haley go as the girl squirmed and put both hands on her hips. The kids looked up at her forlornly, expecting another ill-fated rule to come from her lips. Jack contemplated throwing another snowball at her before she grinned, holding up three fingers. "Numbero Tres: We go outside and have the BIGGEST snowball fight you've ever SEEN!"

This was met with a really loud cheer. Kevin and Elliot gave each other high fives and Sarah ragged Beth on as Jack laughed. This was getting more interesting every second! Beth surveyed the situation with a satisfied expression before she kneeled and stuck out her hand.

"Do we have an accord mateys?" Beth asked in the worst pirate accent Jack had ever heard. Everyone laughed and placed their hands on top of hers.

"Aye!" They chorused and Beth broke their hands before pointing down the road.

"All right then. Off we go!"

Beth took the lead again as the kids crossed the road, making triple sure no cars were coming. Jack followed along after, mouthing to Beth as he passed:

'That was baaaddddd.'

She rolled her eyes at him but ignored the comment as Haley tugged on her sleeve.

"What is it me'lassie?" Beth asked the little girl, purposely strengthening the horrible pirate accent. Jack covered his ears with a dramatic wince. There were snickers after that. Haley nodded at Beth's question, raising her arms out to the older girl. Beth picked Haley up and put her on her shoulders. The little girl squealed in joy at the sudden height and clung onto Beth's scarf excitedly. Then Beth glanced down at Kevin.

"Well then swabbie, what'll our song be for today?" She asked him and Kevin's face lit up as he opened his mouth.

"99 bottles-" The loud rendition of 'Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall' was abruptly cut off by a unanimous groan. The boy looked around in distaste before he sighed. "Fiiinnnnnne. How about a 'Pirates Life?"

Jack was unfamiliar with the tune but it seemed like that was well-accepted amongst the group. The chorus of voices followed them down the street as they sang very dramatically and probably horribly off-key. Several other people they passed on the street laughed and waved at them as they passed. The singing seemed to be commonplace around here. Jack eventually caught on to the lyrics and joined them without a second thought. As he came into the second verse, Beth went dramatically lower on tone and he followed her lead.

"Yo-ho-ho and a pirates life for meeeeeeee." The terribly deep note was obviously hard for her to hit but she attempted to hold it. Jack's lips curled up into a smirk as he sidled beside her and held it longer. Beth glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, trying to walk and sing at the same time. Yet, she held it admirably against him before Catlin gave an excited shriek and Beth let off with a startled squeak.

Jack burst out laughing at the awful noise. Beth just fell into a coughing fit, laughing hoarsely in between. The kids took off running down a tiny gravel path between an iron fence and into the woods beyond. Beth let Haley down to join the others as they shrieked 'macaroni!' She followed behind more sedately, catching her breath after the impromptu singing match. Jack chose to stay behind with her as they padded through a sparse woodland. He could see a house faintly in the distance and as they drew closer and closer, he caught sight of a sign – rusted and falling off its hinges. The joyful bubbly feeling he'd been caught up in all afternoon cooled as he saw it, his face almost falling into a frown.

Queen Creek Orphanage.

So that's why they all knew each other and Beth. They all lived together. Jack studied the house, worn and tired. The wooden planks were aging, the shingles falling off the roof. The shutters didn't fit quite properly and the chimney was half-falling over. It was obviously well-lived in and in some need of real repair. Yet Jack felt, for some reason, that it felt very homey. The colors on all the curtains and shutters and deck were lively, even amidst his snowfall.

"It's not much, but its home."

Jack started and a soft chuckle caught his attention. He realized Beth had paused to wait for him. She smiled when he met her amused look, her cheeks pulling well-worn laugh lines. Then a loud clamor from inside caught their attention and they both laughed, the silence broken. Beth shook her head as she chuckled walking up the steps. Jack paused on the path outside, unsure whether or not he should join them again. He'd been with them awhile after all. But Beth didn't go inside. She just tossed her coat and hat indoors and flopped into a chair outside. She glanced at Jack then and gestured for him to sit down. Jack just sat on the railing instead of taking the chair like she offered. Beth just shrugged.

"Suit yourself." She said. They went quiet for a moment, watching the snow fall. It was quiet peaceful out here now that whatever the kids had been fighting about inside settled down. The snow made everything seem much more quiet and somewhere Jack heard the faint burbling of a river. Then Beth broke the silence.

"Sooooo…"

"Sooooo…. what?" He mimicked. She tilted her head and looked him over critically as he got a better look at her too. She was tall and slim, her hair cut just below her ears and curled in wild angles. She had to be about seventeen but something about her face made her seem older. Jack supposed being the oldest out of seven kids had a tendency to do that to you.

"So are you really real? Or am I asleep orrr hallucinating orrrr... something?" Beth finished lamely, making a hopeless gesture. Jack barked a laugh at the questioning statement and she frowned.

"Hey, I'm just making certain here. I mean, playing with imaginary friends is part of the job but I've never been able to SEE them before." Beth returned. "I just want some forewarning if I'm losing it. Cause then I can, I don't know, dunk my head in some cold water."

"You know, that can be arranged." Jack said mischievously, raising his staff. Beth eyed him warily.

"You control snow. That doesn't include cold water." She said but she didn't sound too sure of herself. Jack said nothing, only smiled quietly. Beth gripped the sides of her chair and looked about ready to bolt at his expression. Jack stood up and she narrowed her eyes. "You wouldn't dare."

Beth obviously didn't know enough about Jack Frost. The instant she made a break for it, Jack slammed his staff into the ground and a pile of snow fell onto her head. She tripped into the deep snow off her deck with a loud 'OOF!' He laughed loudly as she struggled furiously with the whiteness for moment, her arms flailing, before her head appeared. Beth dusted off her hair frantically and then blew her bangs out of her face with a pout. Jack, still chuckling, took mercy on the girl and reached out a hand to help her up. Beth reached out to take it but before he could pull her up, she yanked him into the snow. Jack could protest he'd been expecting that all along but he really wasn't. He went tumbling next to her with a yelp. Now it was Beth's turn to laugh as he shook the snow off his head. Jack made a face at her and then they both broke down into conniptions.

They sat next to each other for a while, catching their breath and wiping their eyes. Jack couldn't help thinking that it was great being able to hang out with someone his own age for once. Not to mention, she was actually really fun. It was still odd that she could see him, especially after she questioned him, but he wasn't going to be complaining about it anytime soon. Eventually Beth stood up and dusted herself off. He followed suit except the snow just slid off his clothes like water off a duck's feathers. Then she turned to him and a held out her hand.

"A truce?" Jack said bemusedly, raising an eyebrow. Beth shook her head.

"No silly. We didn't really get off on the best foot." She said, "So, my name's Beth Wilkerson. I live with six other kids, a rather bad-tempered Nana and a cat. Who're you?"

"Wilkerson?" Jack repeated, the corner of his mouth curling up wryly. Beth rolled her eyes and stuck her hand out a little more insistently. He reached out and took her gloved hand with a smile. "My name's Jack Frost. I'm the spirit of winter and the Guardian of Fun."

They shook hands firmly, her grip warm and strong, and Jack had the feeling they were going to be great friends.

A/N:

A little hectic this first chapter but it should mellow out. This fanfiction updates every week on Tuesdays.